Overview

Consultation with Inuit Communities ─ Legal Framework, Practical Strategies and Lessons Learned

Dates TBA
Ottawa, Ontario

Staying up-to-date on government’s duty of consultation and accommodation is a challenging task as the legal landscape is ever-evolving, with frequent court decisions and new directions. On the other hand, the success of government projects, be it legislative, policy and mining, often depends on the success of consultation with Aboriginal and Inuit communities. Failing to adequately consult with Aboriginal and Inuit communities could be costly, and result in delays in planned projects, lawsuits and public relation nightmares. There are several legal challenges in Nunavut alone in the past 5 years related to duty to consult. On the ground, Inuit communities have been experiencing consultation fatigue, after being overloaded with consultation sessions and processes. Further, communities are tired of superficial and ineffective consultation that is conducted for consultation’s sake with no open mind for Inuit concerns, culture and tradition. How to effectively conduct consultation in this overall environment of consultation fatigue and overload?

This conference will focus specifically on the legal framework, practical experiences and successful strategies on conducting successful consultation with Inuit communities and accommodation of Inuit concerns, with a particular emphasis on experiences in the Territory of Nunavut and Canada’s Arctic communities. You will hear from a faculty of experts including elected leaders, top officials, advisors and lawyers from government, Inuit organizations and Institutions of Public Government, industry executives as well as leading academics and researchers. Many of them have practical and first-hand experience in conducting consultation with Inuit communities.

(Topics are subject to change without notice)